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There it is - Steam breaks 28 million users online

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Well, that didn't take long now did it? After hitting a new high on January 2 that was very close to the big milestone, just today Steam officially passed 28 million users online.

The fun thing is while preparing this article, the record got smashed repeatedly again. It went from 28,091,667 to 28,122,386 and then 28,155,279 in the blink of an eye. This new all-time peak is with 7,908,863 people actually playing a game, which you can see confirmed on SteamDB.

Here's what was in the top most played at the time:

  • Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
  • Dota 2
  • PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS
  • Apex Legends
  • Grand Theft Auto V
  • NARAKA: BLADEPOINT
  • Rust
  • ARK: Survival Evolved
  • Football Manager 2022
  • Team Fortress 2

Just how many of those millions will buy a Steam Deck though? It's going to be fun to find out.

Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
Tags: Misc, Steam, Valve
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BlackBloodRum Jan 10, 2022
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Yup mobile games (android/apple) make the majority now, for a lot of people hardcore gaming and AAA titles are games like Gardenscapes or Candy Crush Saga.


Last edited by BlackBloodRum on 10 January 2022 at 8:23 am UTC
Koopacabras Jan 10, 2022
Quoting: BlackBloodRumYup mobile games (android/apple) make the majority now, for a lot of people hardcore gaming and AAA titles are games like Gardenscapes or Candy Crush Saga.

yep that's correct, mobile gaming market represents 52% of the global market, while consoles+pc=48%

source: https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-12-21-gamesindustry-biz-presents-the-year-in-numbers-2021

but also something to remark, it's that since mobile games, are mostly add revenue driven, they tend to struggle more making profits, than proper AAA, console or pc games. Making an AAA for console or pc, most of the times is more profitable, than making an AAA ad revenue driven mobile game.

OTOH biggest threat right now for Valve is Tencent, they are doing humongous profits on the Asian and Chinese Markets, and buying out every game studio they can find.


Last edited by Koopacabras on 10 January 2022 at 8:56 am UTC
ShabbyX Jan 10, 2022
Is it just me, or 8 million people gaming seems such a small number? The onlinr number really means nothing, I leave my Steam open 24h a day, and I imagine many people do.

Like I'd imagine globally there are hundreds of millions of people gaming at any time, which makes windows gaming insignificant, let alone Linux.


Last edited by ShabbyX on 10 January 2022 at 1:50 pm UTC
Mohandevir Jan 10, 2022
Quoting: Kimyrielle
Quoting: furaxhornyx
Quoting: Mohandevir
Quoting: PhiladelphusAnother interesting question is, how many people not currently on Steam will be buying a Steam Deck?

(Yeah, I know you need an account to pre-order it at the moment, but that might not always be the case whenever Valve is finally able to get on top of supply issues. And people could always get an account in the future after it's released and they've seen reviews/demonstrations from a friend/etc.)

Is there such a thing as a gamer that doesn't have a Steam account nowadays?!

Console gamers ?

Mobile gamers. Who apparently make up the majority these days, as hard to believe as it is.

Ok, ok. I was totally aware of gamers not having a Steam account (my wife is a mobile gamer). I was just giving a nudge to the sheer size of Steam and the headline of this news.
lelorrain Jan 10, 2022
Quoting: MohandevirIs there such a thing as a gamer that doesn't have a Steam account nowadays?!

Actually if I have a Steam account is only because I bought Morrowind many years ago ... and I use it only for games I cannot play without it such as the TES games. The same for Ubisoft because of Mass Effect games. Comparatively, I have only 50+ Steam games compared to 300+ non-Steam ones.


Last edited by lelorrain on 10 January 2022 at 3:55 pm UTC
Philadelphus Jan 10, 2022
Quoting: MohandevirIs there such a thing as a gamer that doesn't have a Steam account nowadays?!
There must be, or Steam wouldn't keep breaking its own total users records repeatedly.

(I personally didn't get a Steam account until 2011, after I'd moved away to college and had internet faster than dial-up and could actually do luxurious things like download an entire game in less than two weeks of tying up the landline, so who knows how many people even now are still discovering the joys of a fast internet connection? )
torham Jan 10, 2022
Quoting: Kimyrielle
Quoting: furaxhornyx
Quoting: Mohandevir
Quoting: PhiladelphusAnother interesting question is, how many people not currently on Steam will be buying a Steam Deck?

(Yeah, I know you need an account to pre-order it at the moment, but that might not always be the case whenever Valve is finally able to get on top of supply issues. And people could always get an account in the future after it's released and they've seen reviews/demonstrations from a friend/etc.)

Is there such a thing as a gamer that doesn't have a Steam account nowadays?!

Console gamers ?

Mobile gamers. Who apparently make up the majority these days, as hard to believe as it is.

I don't have a Steam account, and I don't do mobile or console gaming. I just don't much care for DRM. There are dozens of us!
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